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readsknitsrepeats's review against another edition
4.0
This was just too funny! I really enjoyed this book. I wish I could have it in my library but it is just over the line for middle school.
neglet's review against another edition
A fun read, very British, but the main character is very endearing, with the way he worries about everything in his life and find solace in knitting. It has that journal structure that Brits have loved since Adrian Mole, but the ending picks up and the payoff is a lot of fun. If you’re a knitter, you’ll enjoy it.
frenchkey's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was reasonably funny at points. I'm not convinced the author has any practical experience of knitting as the whole plot line around that felt very far fetched. Despite my initial irritation the characters grew on me and the story was compelling enough for me to finish the book.
corvinaq's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid 4.5 star YA book! I liked it a lot. It was cute & very funny. In tone it really resembled the fizzy joy of a PG Wodehouse novel. Very much recommended.
droar's review against another edition
4.0
Quite funny! I vastly enjoyed all the terrible innuendos and knitting jokes. A little rushed and overly positive at the end, but that's teen books for you.
poorashleu's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here
My love of this book is strong, I went into this book aware about nothing but that kick ass cover. Yes. I know, we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I’m a librarian. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT. What happened was, I fell in love with this book. I fell in love with Ben and the world that Easton had created.
In Boys Don’t Knit, we are introduced to Ben Fletcher, he’s a good guy, he is. He just has bonehead friends and he’s a teenager. Because of this combination, he ends up throwing a bottle of Martini & Rossi by a crossing guard and the next thing he knows, he is sentenced to community service. What he doesn’t expect is his community service to include a knitting class (that he signed up for because the teacher is hot). The first day of class he finds out that not only is the hot teacher not teaching the class, but that he’s actually good at knitting. Like, really good! Plus, his classmates are nice, and really encouraging.
What was harder for Ben was keeping up the ruse that he wasn’t in a knitting class, but in a pottery class, because lets be real. No one would understand. As his lie begins to unravel though what Ben finds out is most people don’t care that he’s knitting, they care about the lie that he was keeping from him.
While I found the plot to be a little predictable, I enjoyed Boys Don’t Knit so much, I didn’t care. I enjoyed how real this story was. From Ben’s parents and family life, to his group of friends, and even his knitting group. I was so enthralled in this book any formulaic side didn’t effect my enjoyment on the book. I also enjoyed Ben’s relationship with the elderly, crossing guard. What I really enjoyed was the fact that Ben thought she was ancient and she was sixty-one. But when you’re seventeen, sixty-one is ancient. And while the beginning of their relationship was tense, by the end there was a nice, fond friendship between the two.
I understand that the cover of Boys Don’t Knit is what brought me into the book, but ultimately the story that Easton told is what kept me around.
My love of this book is strong, I went into this book aware about nothing but that kick ass cover. Yes. I know, we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I’m a librarian. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT. What happened was, I fell in love with this book. I fell in love with Ben and the world that Easton had created.
In Boys Don’t Knit, we are introduced to Ben Fletcher, he’s a good guy, he is. He just has bonehead friends and he’s a teenager. Because of this combination, he ends up throwing a bottle of Martini & Rossi by a crossing guard and the next thing he knows, he is sentenced to community service. What he doesn’t expect is his community service to include a knitting class (that he signed up for because the teacher is hot). The first day of class he finds out that not only is the hot teacher not teaching the class, but that he’s actually good at knitting. Like, really good! Plus, his classmates are nice, and really encouraging.
What was harder for Ben was keeping up the ruse that he wasn’t in a knitting class, but in a pottery class, because lets be real. No one would understand. As his lie begins to unravel though what Ben finds out is most people don’t care that he’s knitting, they care about the lie that he was keeping from him.
While I found the plot to be a little predictable, I enjoyed Boys Don’t Knit so much, I didn’t care. I enjoyed how real this story was. From Ben’s parents and family life, to his group of friends, and even his knitting group. I was so enthralled in this book any formulaic side didn’t effect my enjoyment on the book. I also enjoyed Ben’s relationship with the elderly, crossing guard. What I really enjoyed was the fact that Ben thought she was ancient and she was sixty-one. But when you’re seventeen, sixty-one is ancient. And while the beginning of their relationship was tense, by the end there was a nice, fond friendship between the two.
I understand that the cover of Boys Don’t Knit is what brought me into the book, but ultimately the story that Easton told is what kept me around.
agsztyl's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
5.5/10, this was a book that I couldn't really describe in words other than the fact that it was a bit of an interesting one, to say the least, but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed it. The plot was essentially a mixed bag with some good parts and some bad and there were more of the latter parts than of the former, now where do I start? The story begins with the main character Ben Fletcher or Ben for short who committed a crime and conveniently instead of going to juvie, he participates in a program to apparently make him a better person in which he takes up a hobby and writes in a diary. He chose knitting much to his father's chagrin. He could've picked anything else and he chose that hobby. Surprising, but okay since that was what set the book up and I was reading on to see what would happen. I was quite shocked when in just less than 300 pages he went from not even knowing how to knit to knitting well after a few days, in the end, he won a knitting championship and he even beat people more experienced than him which is possible but highly unlikely. I think Ben did all of that just to get a girl that he liked a lot named Megan Hooper but I think that should have been cut out as well as the other mature bits like the racy double-meaning jokes and the part where his friend wrote a knockoff Fifty Shades of Grey just for money or whatever which completely missed the point of the book. If I could describe Boys Don't Knit (in Public) by T.S. Easton in one sentence it was a mess. There's a sequel to this book called An English Boy in New York but I doubt that my library will get this book nor will I read it if they get it since this book is 9 years old now. If you like realistic books you might enjoy this one though there are better ones you can read like Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul.
sandraagee's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, but I found myself needing to let a few things go:
This biggest of these for me was the ease at which Ben takes up knitting. He completely skips the scarves and hats phase and is working on expert-level skills after just a few weeks, which isn't terribly realistic. Necessary for the plot, but just not realistic.
The book's framework was also confusing. Ben has to write a diary as part of his probation, but he historically has kept one anyway. He starts off using the supplied prompts (which seems to be a really uninventive way of setting the scene and characters) but despite insistence that he will use the prompts, they are soon dropped completely without warning. The author needed to pick one or the other and go with it instead of trying to do both.
A few other little things also bothered me in the moment. Despite these issues, the book is more fun than the sum of its parts. Just don't think too hard about it while you're reading.
This biggest of these for me was the ease at which Ben takes up knitting. He completely skips the scarves and hats phase and is working on expert-level skills after just a few weeks, which isn't terribly realistic. Necessary for the plot, but just not realistic.
The book's framework was also confusing. Ben has to write a diary as part of his probation, but he historically has kept one anyway. He starts off using the supplied prompts (which seems to be a really uninventive way of setting the scene and characters) but despite insistence that he will use the prompts, they are soon dropped completely without warning. The author needed to pick one or the other and go with it instead of trying to do both.
A few other little things also bothered me in the moment. Despite these issues, the book is more fun than the sum of its parts. Just don't think too hard about it while you're reading.
stuhlsatzg's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent, hilarious easy read about a high-school boy who has to take a knitting class as part of his probationary agreement and the chaos that ensues! Highly recommend